First, by way of creation, Perkins says that Christ is Lord in that “He made us of nothing when we were not.” Therefore, as Creator, Christ having His being “before any creature,” He then gives “a beginning to all creatures.” Christ owns all of His creation, and creation owes everything to Him. Second, Christ is Lord in the right of redemption. By way of illustration, Perkins says that in “former times,” when one is taken as a prisoner, the one who pays the ransom becomes his lord. Likewise, when “we were bondslaves” under hell, death, and condemnation, Christ “paid the ransom of our redemption” and purchased our freedom from the slavery of “sin and Satan.” Thirdly, Christ is Head of the church. As her Head, Christ rules and governs the church by “His word and Spirit.”
For Perkins, this understanding of Christ as Lord compels individuals to particular duties. The first is “absolute obedience unto Him.” Christ is Lord over all, and He commands all; therefore, all must do what He commands. Second, when found under the “strange judgments” of Christ’s hand, we must be found “without murmuring or finding fault.” As Lord, all things are in Christ’s hands, and, therefore, He may do whatever pleases Him. Thirdly, because Christ’s own all, then His blessings must be sought before we use any of His “creatures or ordinances.” We seek His blessings, says Perkins, by way of “Word and prayer.” The reason for this is because, as Lord over all, “we must fetch direction to teach us.” We must know whether something may or may not be used and then how it is to be rightly used. We are stewards of His property. All that we have received has come by way of a gift (cf. 1 Cor 4:7), and we must treat all things accordingly. The final duty to Christ’s lordship is that we must live our lives now in such a way that when the “day of death” comes, we may with “cheerfulness surrender and give up” our soul into the Lord’s hands. Perkins states that we must come to the understanding that not even our souls belong to us, for we have been bought with a price (cf. 1 Cor 6:20). Therefore, we must “order and keep” ourselves (body and soul) in such a manner that we may, in good conscience, “restore it into the hands of God” at the end our lives.
For Perkins, there is a great comfort to reap from Christ’s lordship. He exhorts his reader, “[F]or if Christ be the Lord of lords, and our Lord especially whom He has created and redeemed, we need not to fear what the devil or wicked men can do unto us. If Christ be on our side, who can be against us? We need not fear them that can destroy the body and do no more, but we must cast our fear on Him that is Lord of body and soul and can cast both to hell.”
